Bunno question mega thread

[Dave and Marty]

Hello All,

I haven’t posted here in a while, but I have quite a few questions about my bunny Marty (also affectionately known as Bunno).

He’s a six month old French Lop.

He got neutered about 2 weeks ago, and since then he’s developed some weird behaviours.

Lately, almost every morning, his food dish is somewhere other than where it should be, usually upside down, with pellets all over his area.  Today I actually found it rightside up, but ON TOP of his hay box, which I don’t even know how he did.

We’ve finally got him reliably using his litter box, by putting it in the corner he likes to use, so that’s a good thing, but he always only sits beside it.

Basically he likes to be in 2 spots, either beside his litter box or under my bed, ALWAYS in one of those spots.

The only time he’ll stay near me is when I’m rubbing his head/ears/face, but he doesn’t like being picked up, having his belly rubbed, or even his back.

Occasionally he comes and sits by my feet while I’m on the computer, but this is a rare occurrence.

In terms of food I feed him 1 dish of pellets a day and 1 bowl of romaine lettuce, as well as unlimited access to water and timothy hay.

So here goes a list of questions.

Why does he only ever sit in 2 spots, neither of which are near me?

Why does he always flip and throw his food dish around?

Why does he never stay around me for any length of time?

Some “diet” sites I’ve found say to feed them 3 types of green vegetables a day, but I can’t afford that.  Doesn’t he get the nutrients he needs from the combination of pellets, lettuce (occasionally Spinach or field greens), hay, and the odd trail mix treat?

How do I get him used to being picked up?

How do I make him more “friendly” in general? (my dream would be to be able to watch tv and have him sit on my lap or even beside me for more than 2 minutes)

How do I actually spend time with him if he only likes it when I pet his head?

How do you “play” with a bunny?

How can I tell if he’s lonely, sad, or just content to hang out on his own most of the time?

How do I get him to stop biting feet? (and thus scaring off anyone who comes to visit him)

Probably more questions I can’t think of right now to come.

Anyone wanna help?

[Kbana]

Ok, I’ll try my best to answer most of these. Welcome! (I’ll type my answers in all caps so you can see them, I promise I’m not yelling at you. LOL)

Why does he only ever sit in 2 spots, neither of which are near me? BUNNIES TEND TO PICK FAVORITE SPOTS WHERE THEY FEEL MOST COMFORTABLE.

Why does he always flip and throw his food dish around? MOST BUNNIES WILL DO THIS IF THE BOWLS AREN’T HEAVY ENOUGH. I DON’T PUT MY PELLETS IN A BOWL AT ALL. I SCATTER THEM AROUND HIS HABITAT SO HE HAS TO FIND THEM. KILLS TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE. HE IS ENTERTAINED AND DOESN’T FLIP BOWLS. AT 6 MONTHS HIS PELLETS CAN BE MORE LIMITED ANYWAY SO YOU CAN DECREASE IT TO ABOUT 1/4 TO 1/8 CUP A DAY. I JUST MEASURE OUT THAT MUCH WITH A MEASURING CUP AND SPRINKLE AROUND SOME THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

Why does he never stay around me for any length of time? THOUGH BUNNIES ARE EXTREMELY SOCIAL, THEY ARE SOCIAL ON THEIR TERMS. MOST BUNS ARE NOT CUDDLE BUNS. I WOULD SUGGEST HANGING OUT IN HIS MAIN AREA AND IGNORE HIM. THEY HATE TO BE IGNORED AND WILL EVENTUALLY COME BY OUT OF CURIOSITY. GIVE HIM TREATS AND PETS WHEN HE PERMITS IT. THAT BEING SAID, HE MAY NOT EVER LIKE TO HANG AROUND FOR LONG.

Some “diet” sites I’ve found say to feed them 3 types of green vegetables a day, but I can’t afford that. Doesn’t he get the nutrients he needs from the combination of pellets, lettuce (occasionally Spinach or field greens), hay, and the odd trail mix treat? I TEND TO BUY AT LEAST THREE TYPES OF VEGGIES PER WEEK. I BUY WHAT IS ON SPECIAL WHEN I CAN. PELLETS AND HAY ALONE ISN’T GOING TO MEET HIS NUTRITIONAL NEEDS. ROMAIN IS NORMALLY THE CHEAPEST BUT I HAVE FOUND THAT MINE WILL GET BORED WITH IT SO I NEED TO ROTATE IT IN AND OUT. EVEN TWO TYPES OF VEGGIES ARE BETTER THAN ONE. I HAVE FOUND THE CHEAPEST IN MY AREA TO BE RED AND GREEN LEAF LETTUCE, KALE, ROMAIN AND CILANTRO OR PARSLEY. MOST HERBS WILL BE MORE EXPENSIVE LIKE MINT OR BASIL. WHEN YOU START NEW VEGGIES, START THEM SLOWLY AND IN SMALL AMOUNTS TO MAKE SURE THAT MARTY CAN TOLERATE THEM BEFORE INCLUDING THEM IN HIS DIET REGULARLY. WHAT IS IN THE TRAIL MIX TREAT YOU SPEAK OF? I AM A BIT CONCERNED BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY TREATS FOR RABBITS THAT ARE ON THE MARKET THAT ARE NOT GOOD FOR THEM AT ALL. AVOID NUTS, SEEDS, EXCESS FRUITS OATS, ETC. HAY ACTUALLY HAS NO NUTRIENTS REALLY. IT IS MOSTLY USED TO KEEP THE DIGESTIVE TRACK MOVING AND HELPING THEIR TEETH. IT IS A VITAL PART OF THEIR DIET FOR THOSE TWO REASONS.

How do I get him used to being picked up? OH GOODNESS. MINE HATES IT TOO. MOST DO. THEY ARE A PREY ANIMAL SO TO THEM, BEING PICKED UP=GOING TO BE SOMEONE’S DINNER. HE MAY NEVER GET USED TO IT. SOME BUNS WILL, OVER TIME, BECOME MORE TOLERANT, BUT SOME NEVER TAKE TO IT. THAT IS JUST PART OF A BUNNY’S PERSONALITY AND WIRING. YOU CAN TRY PICKING HIM UP SAFELY FOR A FEW SECONDS, PUT HIM DOWN, AND THEN GIVE HIM A TREAT. OVER TIME MAYBE THAT WILL WORK. MINE IS ALMOST 8 MONTHS OLD AND HE REFUSES TO BE PICKED UP. HE WILL HOP ON MY LAP AND HEAT HIS PELLETS OR A SMALL TREAT AND THEN STAY FOR PETS. THE AMOUNT OF TIME HE STAYS IS ALWAYS DEPENDENT ON THE TYPE OF MOOD HE IS IN. SOMETIMES IT WILL BE A MINUTE AND SOMETIMES IT WILL BE 20. JUST DEPENDS.

How do I make him more “friendly” in general? (my dream would be to be able to watch tv and have him sit on my lap or even beside me for more than 2 minutes) I HAVE THAT SAME DREAM. THAT BEING SAID, I DON’T ACTUALLY SEE IT COMING TO FRUITION (SADLY). MINE GOES BONKERS FOR HIS PELLETS SO I USE THOSE AS TREATS AND HE COMES RUNNING. THE KEY TO HELPING HIM BE MORE SOCIAL IS TO BE PATIENT. SPEND TONS OF TIME ON THE FLOOR AT HIS LEVEL. WHEN NEW PEOPLE COME BY REMIND THEM TO BE QUITE AND MOVE SLOWLY. I TELL NEW PEOPLE TO JUST SIT AND LET HIM COME TO THEM. WHEN HE COMES I TELL THEM NOT TO PET HIM RIGHT AWAY SO HE HAS TIME TO GET USED TO THEM.

How do I actually spend time with him if he only likes it when I pet his head? BUNNIES ARE SUCH DIFFERENT PETS THAN SAY A CAT OR A DOG. YOU REALLY NEED TO SPEND TIME WITH HIM ON THE FLOOR. INTERACTING WITH HIM MIGHT NOT LOOK LIKE YOU ARE USED TO OR VISUALIZING. MOST OF THE TIME I AM ON THE FLOOR I WATCH TV AND LET HIM RUN AROUND ME AND SNIFF. SOMETIMES HE WILL HOP UP AND SIT ON MY LAP AND SOMETIMES HE STAYS AS FAR AWAY FROM ME AS POSSIBLE DOING HIS OWN INDEPENDENT BUNNY THING. IT WAS DEFINITELY SOMETHING TO GET USED TO AS I HAVE ONLY BEEN USED TO CATS AND DOGS. MINE LIKES HIS TREAT BALL AND LOVES HAY IN A PAPER TOWEL ROLL. I DON’T REALLY PLAY WITH HIM AS MUCH AS WATCH HIM INTERACT WITH HIS WORLD. MY BUN ONLY LIKES HEAD AND CHEEK RUBS TOO. THOUGH OCCASIONALLY IF HE IS IN THE RIGHT MOOD I CAN GIVE HIM A BACK MASSAGE. BUT NEVER EVER WILL HE LET ME TOUCH HIS BUM OR BELLY OR FEET.

How do you “play” with a bunny? I THINK I MIGHT HAVE COVERED THAT ABOVE BUT SOME MEMBERS HERE HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH CLICKER TRAINING AND THAT COULD BE SOMETHING YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK IN TO.

How can I tell if he’s lonely, sad, or just content to hang out on his own most of the time? MOST BUNNIES ARE CONTENT TO HANG OUT, ESPECIALLY DURING THE DAY AS THEY ARE MOST ACTIVE AT MORNING AND NIGHT. I WOULD TRY TO INTERACT WITH HIM DURING THOSE TIMES AND SEE IF YOU NOTICE A CHANGE IN HIS ACTIVITY LEVEL. AS LONG AS YOU ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO HIM, EVEN IF THAT MEANS YOU ARE JUST THERE, HE WILL KNOW THAT HE HAS COMPANY. AGAIN, THE MORE TIME YOU SPEND ON THE FLOOR JUST BEING THERE IS GOING TO BENEFIT BOTH OF YOU. I NOTICE THAT MY BUN IS WAY LESS LIKELY TO INTERACT WITH ME WHEN I AM BUSY AND HAVE LESS TIME TO HANG OUT WITH HIM. AFTER A COUPLE HOURS ON THE FLOOR OR IN HIS AREA HE IS BACK TO HIMSELF AND MORE LIKELY TO STICK AROUND WHEN I’M THERE.

How do I get him to stop biting feet? (and thus scaring off anyone who comes to visit him) HAVE YOU TRIED SQUEALING REALLY HIGH AND LOUD WHEN HE DOES IT? DO YOU HAVE OTHER ANIMALS IN THE HOME? COULD YOUR FEET SMELL LIKE THEM? THIS COULD ALSO BE A BIT HORMONAL AS THE NEUTERING IS ONLY TWO WEEKS IN. HORMONES CAN TAKE ABOUT A MONTH OR SO TO DIE DOWN. WHEN DOES HE DO THIS? ARE YOU IN HIS SPACE? IT COULD ALSO BE AN INAPPROPRIATE WAY FOR HIM TO GET YOUR ATTENTION. TRY SITTING DOWN AND TUCKING YOUR FEET UNDER YOUR BODY WHILE SAYING A GENTLE “NO”

HOPEFULLY I’VE HELPED IN SOME WAY! I THINK OVERALL WHAT YOU ARE DESCRIBING IS TYPICAL BUN BEHAVIOR. EVERY BUNNY IS DIFFERENT AND ALL BUNNIES ARE PRETTY DIFFERENT FROM MOST OTHER PETS. IT JUST TAKES SOME TIME TO GET USED TO.

Probably more questions I can’t think of right now to come.

[LBJ10]

He sounds like a perfectly normal bun to me. Kbana did pretty good giving you advice. I will add that some bunnies like interactive toys. Mine love their Teach N Treat, but we will also play tossing games where I hand them a toy and they toss it.

[Dave and Marty]

Wow, thank you for the very thorough response, that’s why I love this site

I guess I need to find a way to spend more time in his area, but it’s kind of in a “boring” spot for me and all I can do is sit there and do things on my phone (which he then tries to bite lol). I really appreciate all the information and will try to change certain things based on it!

[Kbana]

LB, I just got the teach n treat off amazon yesterday! Fingers crossed.
Dave, we are always happy to help. My basement isn’t the most exciting place either but it is the only safe place for Albert since we have an aggressive dog. I wish Al could be more in the main part of the house, but sadly this is not so at the moment. I have a tv and couch in the basement so I just tend to hang out there instead of in my living room. (much to my husband’s dismay) Is there any way to put a TV in the bunny room? or you could stream live TV from your laptop if you have one…
Also, his biting of your phone is actually his plea for attention from you. That is a great sign! It means he wants you to be paying attention to him and not your phone. Also, phones are tasty. LOL.

[Peony]

I will add about the picking up since this is how I got Peony to accept it once.

You really need to build trust and get the bunny to trust you. My way of doing this with Peony was trying to pet her. First I would start just with the head and if she stays with me I start petting her back from her head. Then I would pet her sides an try work my way down slowly to the tummy area. Since the proper way of picking rabbits up is by one hand cuffing the back of the legs while the other hand is across her back with some fingers on her tummy area, I figured this was one way for her to get used to it (As in feeling my hand placements) One morning I did this kind of petting and she let me pet her tummy. So I started to pick her up after some petting and put her on my chest like you are supposed to. She did not fight at all so I stood up and put her down on the second floor of her hutch (The only reason I picked her up was to let her discover the second hutch floor and get a feel for running the ramp) It worked, Just that one time and she runs up and down that ramp ever since.

As far as I hear, if you really NEED to carry them a long distance, it is best to let them hop in their littlerbox and carry the litterbox.

 For playing, you have to do it on their own terms really. What I do is mess with her toes then try presenting them to her. If they take kindly to a plastic slinkey, that could be fun for both of you.

 For the dishbowl tossing, all you can do is give a heaver bowl and try to place it where the bunny wants it.

 It takes about two months for hormones to settle after neutering so that can be a factor too.

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